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Citizens United, five years later

by AirTalk®

Eric Byler, Co-founder and President of the Coffee Party, speaks during a protest in front of the U.S. Supreme Court February 23, 2012 in Washington, DC. Activist groups Free Speech For People, the Coffee Party and Common Cause co-hosted the rally to urge the Supreme Court to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the decision that prohibits the government from putting limits on political spending by corporations and unions. Alex Wong/Getty Images

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The Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission changed politics in America in drastic ways. The ruling allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amount of money in election campaigns. Opponents fear that the decision would lead to our democracy being eroded by special interest groups and anyone with money, but proponents argue that the decision is being largely misconstrued and that it actually makes for a more democratic electoral system.

Five years after the Supreme Court’s decision, AirTalk revisits the Citizen United ruling and looks at its impact.

Guests:

Amanda Hollis-Brusky, Politics Professors at Pomona College and author of the new book, “Ideas with Consequences: The Federalist Society and the Conservative Counterrevolution” (Oxford University Press, 2015)

Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute and editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review